The Vine Newsletter

Mrs Felicity Grima - Principal

The College is incredibly proud of our state-of-the-art facilities that enable us to foster the Performing Arts. It has been a long four years since we were last able to put on a College Production so we were very excited to see the opening of the 2022 College Production last Friday night. Staff and students have put in many hours of planning and rehearsals so we hope you will support them by attending one of the final three performances at the end of this week. 

Mrs Felicity Grima
Principal

https://www.trybooking.com/BYDMY

17 June at 7pm
18 June at 7pm
24 June at 7pm
25 June at 1:30pm and 7pm (Almost sold out)

Thank you to our generous sponsors for their support of the upcoming College production:

Box Hop Moving Box Hire https://boxhop.com.au/

Devine Scapes Landscaping Renovations http://www.devinescapes.com.au/

Jaymak Equipment Hygiene Services https://jaymak.com/

Mindflare Mental Health Services https://mindflare.com.au/

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10

 Please pray for:

Those families in the College community experiencing times of hardship and stress.
Health and safety for all, particularly those involved in High School Musical and the upcoming Year 11 Dusty Boots trip.
The many events coming up in the next three weeks.

  Praise God for:

The wonderful responses to help with the visit of our Japanese friends later in the year.
The many sporting and performing opportunities available to our students.
The new winter jacket available to purchase which is keeping people warm!

Miss Adele Crane - Director of Student Wellbeing

Stand Tall Event – 2022

Stand Tall is an event that aims to equip youth with the skills of resilience, the strength to stand up to bullying, the keys to motivation, the power of perspective and the knowledge of the benefits of making good, wise decisions. This year our Year 9 students went out to the ICC to hear a number of young, inspirational speakers share their life experiences. The theme this year was to ‘Dream Again’, particularly after the last two years with our lives being heavily impacted by COVID.

The first speaker was the favourite of many of our students; Duku Fore. Duku had a vibrant personality and a story of how he took advantage of little opportunities to chase his dream. It was a great start to the event. There were performances from Bella Taylor-Smith and Timomatic. There was also a bit of a dance competition with volunteers from the large crowd although our students enjoyed watching the others have a go at this rather than joining themselves!

Of the speakers, there were two who had life lessons to share that PAC students found particularly thought provoking. The first was Michael Crossland who has overcome many challenges in life, particularly health challenges to himself and his family. The second was Danny and Leila Abdallah who had a powerful story about forgiveness after the tragic death of three of their children and cousin. Through all speakers students learnt the power of resilience and mindset.

It was a massive day of positive input that aimed to enthuse and inspire our students. They were thankful for a fun day out and the chance to spend time with students from many other schools. Students were reminded that life can be full of challenges, but these challenges can be overcome with help and support of others – a great message for all of us to hear!

Miss Adele Crane
Director of Student Wellbeing

Mariama Mohammed is 16 years old and lives in Ghana with her mother who is able to work occasionally. There are two other children in the family.

Mariama helps with running errands, cleaning and kitchen chores. Her favourite activities are reading, bicycling and singing. Her favourite subject is Maths.

Mariama is sponsored by Cranmer and was a new sponsor child for us in 2016. 

Mariama lives in a coastal community which has approximately 76,700 residents. Houses are constructed of cement and have corrugated iron roofs. The regional diet consists of maize, beans, bananas, chicken, fish, bread, cassava, rice and goat. Common health problems in the area include malaria and malnutrition. Workers earn the equivalent of $16 per month!

Our sponsorship of Mariama provides her with health screening, hygiene education, de-worming, recreational activities educational materials, tuition and Bible tuition. The health education referred to provides information for parents, guardian and teens about HIV/AIDS prevention awareness.

When you were younger you may have dreamt of being an architect, a lawyer, a teacher, a reporter, an astronaut, an actor, a carpenter, a mechanic or many more careers. When we sponsor the children, we are helping create opportunities for them to dream about their future too. This is an awesome opportunity for teens like Mariama to achieve those dreams because they are so looked after by being sponsored. They have the opportunity to grow up to be healthy, educated young citizens in their country.

Mrs Sue Munce
Primary Compassion Coordinator

Congratulations to Jake Farrugia (Year 3). Jake was selected to represent Nepean Oztag at the NSW State Cup in Coffs Harbour on 4 - 5 June. His team won the tournament, making them the Under 9 Boys State Champions!

(Photo credit:  Mrs Farrugia)

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2022 

Each year we encourage students from K-9 to participate in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge. The Challenge is a great way to kick off a regular reading habit and introduce our students to a range of amazing stories. 

A growing number of our students have already completed the Challenge this year and logging at home makes it easy to record as they go. 

For more information and to log in to their account visit the website https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html 

Library Catalogue from Home 

Don’t forget students can access the library catalogue from home to use our databases, StoryBox Library, Clickview, browse our latest titles and more. Their regular username and password gives access via this link https://pac.softlinkhosting.com.au/oliver/home/news 

L Library Goes Bush 

Mrs Brown has created an amazing display featuring our beautiful native flora and fauna which is being enjoyed by all our PreK- Year 2 students and staff this term. 

Mr Mark Pullen
Head of Library Services

Mr Leighton Corr - Deputy Principal (Secondary)

One of the best parts of my role here at the College is getting to work alongside our Student Leadership Team. I love seeing them come up with new ideas about how the College can do things better, try something for the first time or come together as a community.

There is always a feeling of sadness when a leadership teams tenure comes to an end and I want to commend Ben and Hannah with how they have led the team of 2021-2022 and for the way these young people have sought to serve our College. I wish them well as they focus on their studies in Term 3 and can confidently say that they have helped take our school community forward, at times, during difficult circumstances.

The end of one team’s time means that another team gets to start. After a very difficult process we are delighted to announce the Student Leadership Team of 2022-2023. What encouraged me most about these young people during their interviews was the way that each of them could articulate the values of our College and explain ways that we could keep instilling these values in the future. I am confident they will be a wonderful asset to our College community over the next 12 months. 

Student Leadership Team 2022-2023

College Captains
Francesca Pereira and Samuel Lucas

College Vice-Captains
Isabella Degei and Oliver Jenkins

House Captains

Cranmer
Ashley Jackson and Kalan Copeland

Latimer
Amelia Forti and Arnav Shrestha

Ridley
Alex Doyle and Spencer Hinchcliffe

Ryle
Isabelle Luscombe and Hayden Comber

Prefects

Interhouse
Monique Tierney and Alex Wright

Events and Fundraising
Caitlin Mu

Community
Charlotte Bradford

Ministry and Mission
Molly Carter

Performing Arts
Aled Young

Mentor Group Representative Leaders
Tanisha Aggarwal and Hayley Metcalfe

Mr Leighton Corr
Deputy Principal (Secondary)

On Friday 10 June, we held our annual Ryle House Charity Day, with the theme of “Winter Warmers”. On the day, secondary students from Ryle House prepared, presented and delivered Hot Dogs, Noodles, Sliders and drinks to the rest of the school community. Students were also involved in running a Bake Sale for the secondary school, baking cookies, muffins, cakes and slices. Across the day, over $1250 was raised for Compassion Australia, a charity that works with vulnerable children worldwide. A big congratulations to all of our Ryle House volunteers and Mentors for putting on an excellent day.

Mr Timothy Pigot
Head of House - Ryle

This term Year 10 English have been looking into Speculative Fiction conventions. They applied their learning from skilled composers to developing a narrative of their own that reflected the style of their composer. As well as composing a narrative, the Year 10 students wrote a reflective piece on the process of composition.

A narrative from Elissa Fergusson
Despite the white tile burning holes in her eyes as it reflected the bright LED light and the overwhelming smell of an overcooked premade meal nothing could be done to hide the dead body from Indra. It wasn’t the first time that she’d seen a victim of the Cut as she stared down at her grandmother that stared back with glassy, empty eyes. Her grandfather had been the first, then her father, then her mother, and now Indra’s gaze was locked upon her last remaining family member. Gone. Freshly deceased, she determined after a quick glance, given that rigor mortis had not set in, and the ROTUS had not arrived yet.

Her death, caused by the permanent metal ring embedded in each person’s forearm, was a shame, Indra could not ignore that factor, but it was an inevitability she knew was approaching. Her grandmother had lived longer than most would ever again, a blessing of fifty-five full years that towered over Indra’s own seventeen. Achieving above forty-five was a luxury not many were able to experience these days with the level of success expected so much higher than it had been in previous years, but, as one of New Sydney’s Data Scientists, trained to the highest quality, her grandmother had remained successful longer than the others on her team. Age however, had started to take a toll. Her grandmother’s eyesight had diminished, pains started to form from being on her feet all day and she was inclined to not hear when someone called to her. She had become less successful, dipping below The Bar and was no longer able to do her services to the highest extent while there were others who could. She was no longer a use to society, no longer needed or necessary, a liability. Cut.

Performed behind closed doors instead of out in the open, the Cut was programmed to impact as few people as necessary, for any distraction could create impact upon the level of success one achieved. It also prevented unnecessary blockages of main walking paths due to the ROTUS clean-up that needed to take place afterwards. The system had been perfected in the extreme over thirteen generations, just like a diamond sharpened to become a drill.

The steady thump of boots that crawled down the pristine white tiled hallway had her raising her head from the body, still warm with the echo of life. Peeling her eyes away from the body Indra let them rest upon the door she had neatly closed behind her and started to count as the sound grew louder.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One-

“ROTUS ENTERING,” blared through the apartment’s sound system leaving Indra’s ears ringing in the wake. The door was almost flung off its hinges as the ROTUS stepped into the room, filling the air with the sharp tang of bleach within an instant.

“Took you long enough,” Indra huffed under her breath, annoyed at their lack of punctuality and almost certain that they would also be dead at the end of the day with their current levels of success at being timely. Lifting a hand to rub across the buzz-cut in which she permanently wore her brown hair she marched across her grandmother’s apartment to grab a glass and fill it with water. Ignoring her comment, the ROTUS pulled out their stretcher and countless amounts of cleaning supplies to destroy any evidence that Indra’s grandmother had existed in the first place. Muscles flexing behind their assigned red clothing they lifted the body, wrapped it in fabric and then started scrubbing the floors.

The ‘lucky ones’ she’d coin them whenever the subject arose. Unsuccessful in their original field, but fit and strong enough to take up another purpose in life, another way to be successful. Sure, they remained under constant scrutiny throughout all hours of the day and night, but they were given a second chance, unlike the rest of the human race still alive on the forsaken planet.

“VISITOR HOURS HAVE NOW ENDED. PLEASE PROCEED BACK TO YOUR HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS. CLOSE-DOWN IN TWENTY MINUTES,” announced the sound system and Indra flinched at the squeak it finished with.

Indra drained the water in a quick gulp and hurriedly walked past the ROTUS staring down her nose at them and upper lip curling in distaste. With no intention of hearing the shrill ending twice she slammed the door with a little more force than needed and started her walk home.

Steel coated skyscrapers reflecting feeble rays of light stretched above Indra’s head and disappear into the perpetual heavy grey smog as she joined the flood of people on the walking path. Brightly coloured litter lined the street like the old pictures of coral reefs Indra had seen in her childhood books, but the paths would be clear in the morning, thanks to the work of the ROTUS. Footstep after footstep the crowd of people marched to their respective homes like ants in a nest, heads bobbing with each self-assured step they took as Indra let her thoughts wonder.

Why did the system have to be so strict? Why did only the ROTUS get that second chance that anyone else would kill for? Why did they have to take my grandmother? Can’t this just end and let everyone just live without the constant fear of dying? Surely someone could do something to stop this. Surely the Controllers know what they’re doing is wrong. What would happen if I cut out the metal ring in my arm? What would happen if I could shut down the system?

Entering her apartment building lights flickered above signalling Close Down was five minutes away as Indra approached her door. Scanning her forearm against the lock to open the door, Indra stepped inside and flicked on the lights blinking at the identical white tile, and what was lying upon the tile. It was a note written in sprawling handwriting that read ‘Control Centre 11am sharp if you want the job. Don’t be late. Don’t tell anyone. Just be there. – Control.’

A reflection from Ava Toland
The purpose of my response was to engage my reader in the question of what the world would be like if we got rid of the imperfect to make ourselves perfect. This question was also paired with what if there was no sympathy and if there is no sympathy can we ever truly be perfect? I used two language devices that were evidently seen in Huxley’s Brave New World and tried to incorporate two speculative fiction conventions that were prominent in Huxley’s novel.

The first language device was symbolism. Huxley uses symbolism in the name of one of his most famous characters ‘Bernard Marx’ who was named after Karl Marx. Huxley uses this symbolism to link the two figures together and allow readers to have a bit more of an understanding as to what is going on in the novel. Karl Marx was a famous revolutionary, and, in the book, Bernard was against society because he felt alone. I named the ‘bad guy’ Adam Hilt to symbolize Adolf Hitler, who too wanted to make his society perfect by killing everyone he deemed not acceptable. “All eyes whipped to Adam Hilt”, this demonstrates the power Adam Hilt much like Hitler had over the people. I feel that I used symbolism well and that my symbolism was clever just like Huxley’s was with Bernard and Karl Marx.

The second device that Huxley and I both use is similes. Huxley mostly uses similes to help describe his setting. Huxley uses ‘the mesa was like a ship becalmed in a strait of lion-coloured dust’. This simile is describing a place in the ‘savage reservation’ that Bernard and Lenina visited in the first half of the book. I used similes to describe the feelings of my characters instead of the setting. “She looked towards the gates like death would soon walk out”. The simile I used was to help readers understand how Layla felt and to help the readers understand that exile from the city was practically a death sentence. Huxley mostly used similes to describe a setting while I focused more on emotions. I feel that I could have paid more tribute to Huxley’s writing style if I focused just a little bit more on describing the setting of my story with similes instead of purely focusing on the characters’ feelings.

The elements of Brave New World that I have incorporated into my story include some of its conventions. One convention that I found prominent in Brave New World was struggles with caste systems. Huxley uses the convention to create a world where people are hatched into a caste and created with the matching characteristics. I have attempted to also do this by creating caste struggles in my story. The castes are different than Brave New World. In my story with you have a disability or defect than you need to worry for your life, because if your caught than you’ll be thrown out of society.

I also elaborated on Huxley’s use of conditioning in his story. In my text I have people follow Hilt and worship him, even though he is hurting people. “The crowd roared in agreement”. This conditioning of hating anyone with a defect causes the world to start to turn on one another “turned friends and family against one another”, and it causes everyone to lose sympathy because they are only focused on achieving a perfect society “without sympathy then one becomes ruthless”. In Brave New World through their conditioning, the citizens believe whatever they are told. Like ‘if it’s broken get a new one’, or the repetitions of clichéd phrases that they play back to the children while they are sleeping ‘two hundred repetitions, twice a week from fourteen to sixteen and a half’.

My use of language devices and portrayal of speculative fiction conventions that Huxley uses was done well but I feel that I could have made the caste struggles a little more evident in my piece. If I had done this, I feel that I would have paid more respect to Huxley’s style. If I did it again I would try to make my nouns more specific like Huxley’s style of writing. My style was a little too vague while Huxley’s is more to the point. Overall, I have used language devices effectively like Huxley did and managed to integrate some of his well-known conventions. 

Mr Andrew Cox
English Teacher

Year 12 Advanced and Standard English students have recently studied Module C: The Craft of Writing. Throughout this module students appreciate, examine and analyse short texts, as models and stimulus for the development of their own complex ideas and written expression. Their assessment task was a Writing Portfolio where they crafted three pieces of writing, each in a different style, and a Viva Voce where students reflected on their writing process their choices and inspiration.

The English Faculty have thoroughly enjoyed reading the range of creative compositions and hearing students share what they have learnt throughout this module. Here are three examples from this task for you to enjoy:

An imaginative piece of writing by Mia Kobus
“Mumma will always love you, no matter what”

In her words he finds strength. Guidance. His light house. Like a knife piercing through the darkness as though it were tangible, wait, gentler than that. Like waves softly creeping up the shore coaxing the sand to soften. Her words shape his character like her womb knitted him into being. A sandcastle in which every tower of sand is fearfully and wonderfully made.

His favourite memory had a sandcastle. They were just walking away from the majestic work of architecture they had built using just two buckets and a couple of shells, when Mumma bought him a balloon. It was beautiful. Bright red and shiny, a little sandy, stirring a giggle in his belly when he realised it looked like Rudolph’s nose. It had the words “I love you” printed on it. They walked along the beach, him running ahead as the waves lapped his toes like they were playing tip, the balloon bobbing up and down as if riding along waves in the sky, her following behind as he kicked up the wet sand with those adorable little toes. The sunlight was glowing on his skin as if the light were looking out for him, like he knew she always would. He looked up into the big blue sky, so big and so vast, only disturbed by the lazy cloud and that Rudolph’s nose, “I love you” drifting through the air. The giggle in his belly began to stir again. His hands climbed up the balloon’s string, one hand at a time, little hands clutching at the rubbery surface, “I love you” millimetres from his nose.

“Mumma, I’m Rudolph!”

The little belly erupted with giggles, and he let go of the balloon. She saw the smile get slapped off her little boy’s face. His face crumple up like his skin was being pinched and dragged down in places, tears tumbling down his cheeks. Their eyes traced the bright red nose up, up into the air, the “I love you” dancing further away from them, just evading her grasp with its playful jokes. Those tears broke his pour mothers’ heart. His heart was broken watching the “I love you” disappear forever.

“You don’t love me anymore,” his little brain had concluded.

In his eyes were the shattered pieces of his broken heart. His little mind had attached her love to that balloon. To the “I love you” printed on the bright red surface. She knelt to the ground in front of her boy, held his tiny fingers in her hands, looked up into those teary eyes.

“Mumma will always love you, no matter what”

No matter what he does, no matter what he says, no matter if they are separated or if they are joined by the hip for the rest of their life. She will always love him. His mother’s love is constant. And constant her love has been, when stormy days cloud his judgement and when the rain drowns him in sorrows, when the tide comes in too high and the waves become too big and crash over him, overwhelm him and tumble and toss him around, he clung to her words with his life. The anchor to his life. The guiding light back home.

A persuasive piece of writing by Tanisha Aggarwal
Words having power is not a new idea. Many conversations and essays and lectures have occurred on the very topic. I, myself, have fallen victim to this inevitable train of thought, but a particular branch of the discussion is of great interest to me. How can we relate words to the real world, and to our lives? We each live uniquely and have individual experiences. Words that convey those differences allow us to understand other people and their worlds.

It’s sort of like we’re each our own galaxy, floating around in the ever expanding-universe. Each star, planet and moon is an experience, a thought process, a moment in time. As we travel from one galaxy to another, we can immerse ourselves into the mind of someone else. Seemingly minor elements like stars, while only collections of gas, construct the larger whole of a galaxy, Similarly, words may just seem like words, but when put together to describe an experience or outline a thought, the very nuances of a person are made. They’re the bridges between each realm, connecting all the stray pieces of our lives, allowing us to communicate in the way that we want. 

The bridges between each galaxy can create an intrinsic network. We all know different people, and so do they. Phrases as simple as “Meet my friend” or “Come on in” have us climbing a new bridge and entering a realm we didn’t even know existed. Words become common ground for all, establishing a foundation for relationships. 

Words have allowed us the incredible ability of direct, verbal communication. In nothing but a series of phonetics we can discuss, argue, comment, challenge, encourage, understand, agree, and disagree. Yet with this wondrous ability we then restrict ourselves. Shut down. Refuse to speak so that the friend, partner, or sibling who caused us irritation is equally - if not more - irritated. Only, why would you do that? That person’s going to explode into a black hole and suck you into their vortex of unhappiness. Or the other way around. Either way, not a pleasant experience. 

Words can be manipulated and twisted to the point where lines of communication are broken and the bridges come crumbling down, floating away with other space debris. Words have the same duality that life does. There’s good and there’s bad and a whole lot of weird grey area in between. Instead of simply shutting down, someone lashed out. They took a hammer to the bridge and relished every second. Or maybe, the ability to directly communicate becomes impossible. That person, like many good things, reaches its end, the star’s light remaining in its wake only to eventually fade. Words become difficult in those times, not only to the lost one, but for those around us. 

However, new life is always being created. Which means new experiences, new galaxies, new people. New people who create the endless possibility of connection, who allow our minds to know no bounds. And I think we should cherish that. Words have opened unimaginable potential; we just have to explore.

A discursive piece of writing by Caterina Furfaro
Lenses. They correct your vision, making images of the world clear. Old lenses can change the story of our lives. I’ve never really needed glasses but as my eyes grow older the days of glasses come closer and closer. God, I hope that day never comes. My face definitely doesn't fit glasses - something about my eyes being too close together.

Our youthful eyes explore the wonders of the world in a way in which our decrepit, experienced vision can no longer. Last week I watched my little cousin get handed a cup of water - more like a cup of gold. He swam through the endless possibilities for hours, on hours, yet his grin never faded. The dull plastic cup filled with only tap water seemed like a whole new world. His eyes widened as his life was full to the brim spilling over with glee. He explored the deepest parts of the ocean and told me the names of undiscovered animals, quickly swapping to surfing the biggest wave the world has seen. He had the lens that could look through C.S Lewis’ wardrobe, opening a naive story we as adults can only dream of getting lost in. Turning war to winter, people to animals and eating the mouth-watering Turkish delight that we all think about when we eat our average joe blow sweets. His youth was the first chapter of his story but as our chapters grow with age our arms can’t keep our wooden wardrobe open forever.

The children in our world are simple and elemental yet see the world with such awe. Their lenses create a clear image that seems completely unimaginable to us adults. They fall through the rabbit hole into the wonderland of possibilities. Though as hard as we try to reach back our chapter has closed, covering the hole of imagination.

Why do we paint our world black with age? Our lens darkens every step of experience we take. As I watched my own cup of water next to my cousin’s it was a different story. It was bland. Clear. Lump of liquid. Sitting like Flubber’s boring old long-lost cousin. The lukewarm water sat content taking up the circular shape of the cup not moving a single muscle. My eyes were drained, scraping the bottom of the cup searching for the new world I was missing. The chapters of my book were already filled without room for new wonders of the world. Our wooden door is shut, and we seemed to have lost the key, so here come our glasses.

As we grow, our lenses change over time, leaving the story of life different every extra day we take. The older we get, the more of the story we gain, however every time our tainted lenses change the way we view it. The fuller our cup gets the more it leaks of wonder that we once treasured like gold and the wooden wardrobe starts to close as the lens of our childhood hides in it. My rickety sight burns for a refreshing splash of youth but until we find a way to preserve our lenses, I guess I better start looking at different styles of glasses.

Miss Lauren Kenny
Head of English

Year 12 Hospitality students attended their 2nd Work Placement of 35 hours, as required by NESA, in week 2 of this term.  Each student found it valuable to experience the industry in a different business to their previous placement. 

Abbigail Ivankovic - I was given the opportunity to be placed at Cassandra's on the Park in St Marys. All employees there were very friendly and encouraging. I was given a range of tasks to complete such as, cutting up fruit and preparing it for all cold drinks to be made during service period times. I was also clearing & wiping down tables once a customer had finished, ensuring the business is ready for new customers to arrive. Overall, my experience at Cassandra's on the park was enjoyable and I was able to learn how this business works compared to my previous work placement. 

Antonia Gentle - I completed work placement at Gloria Jeans Café in Woodcroft. During my week there, I completed multiple food and beverage tasks such as making chillers, making coffees, food preparation and making food items. The staff were very welcoming, friendly and willing to teach me new skills. I learnt standard procedures for Gloria Jean’s coffees and the importance they place on these procedures. Work placement has been a very enjoyable experience for me and many of the staff were offering me a job there. Overall, work placement was very valuable as I was able to expand on my skills and will be able to apply my new knowledge into my current PT job and Hospitality study.

Amber O’Connor - I was given an opportunity to do my work placement at Leaf Café, Seven Hills. I was given a range of tasks such as making milkshakes and smoothies, and making coffees for customers, wiping over tables and cupboards, chopping up mushrooms and grating carrots. I was able to develop many different skills while on this placement and all the staff were very friendly and willing to help whenever I needed it. Overall it was an enjoyable experience as I was able to see how this business worked and how well the staff worked together.

Olivia Young - I completed work placement at the Blind Chief Café & Dessert Bar in Penrith. I completed a range of tasks including food prep work for service periods, cleaning tables and dishes, making coffee and preparing simple dishes. I enjoyed my time because I was surrounded by kind and enthusiastic staff who were willing to teach me how to develop my skills. I was greeted with a lovely surprise such as working with Rocco the service dog, who kept my feet warm while trying to sneak food. Overall, I enjoyed my time at placement, as it helped me develop my skills further to advance my chances in the industry and see the inner workings of hospitality.

Mrs Diane Catto
Head of Technologies

Calling all those in the PAC community who love to help!

We are in need of readers and writers to assist students in examinations and assessments. You will need to have a current WWCC number for volunteers which can be applied for online and is free of charge. You would also need to be at least double vaccinated for COVID.

If you are interested in being involved, please contact Mrs Ling, the Head of Learning Support at the College on (02) 4736 8100 or [email protected]

The Lewers Art Gallery has art programs during the school holidays that might be of interest to families.  Bookings are essential: https://www.penrithregionalgallery.com.au/learning/school-holiday-workshops/

Mrs Helen Muller
Primary Gifted & Talented Coordinator

What an amazing afternoon of practise, pizza and performance we had last Wednesday 8 June. Our two primary choirs – the Quaver Crew and Crotchet Crew – stayed at the College after school to practise technical vocal skills, share a pizza dinner, and put on a final performance showcasing a range of repertoire learnt over the two terms. A total of 68 students from Year 2 – Year 6 filled the Lighthouse Theatre with excitement and anticipation as they gathered for the annual Primary Choir PPP event.

After 60 packets of chips, 72 cupcakes, 90 pieces of fruit, 280 slices of pizza and 3 rotating rehearsals, the concert was finally ready to start. Lead by Mrs Michelle Foreman and accompanied by Mrs Irene Samuels on piano, both choirs took to the stage as over 150 guests of parents, friends and family entered the Lighthouse Theatre. Opening the show was our fabulous Year 2 and 3 Quaver Crew singing a string of tongue twisters and a vocal battle, followed by On Top of Spaghetti - a humorous tune accompanied by delightful actions and melodious sneezing! The Quaver Crew were then joined by our talented Year 3 – 6 group, the Crotchet Crew. The two choirs joined together to sing a piece in a minor key about My Family’s Cat, followed by Hashivenu, a mournful piece sung in Hebrew based on a verse in the book of Lamentations. A jazz arrangement of Joshua Fought The Battle Of Jericho was next on the program, featuring cymbal, bass and trumpet vocal effects cleverly intertwined throughout the song. The night ended with both choirs singing a beautiful piece composed by our very own Mrs Michelle Foreman based on the school’s motto, ‘To Serve Christ’.

The PPP was a fantastic opportunity for students not only to demonstrate their enthusiasm, but also their dedication in learning songs, following the conductor, listening to each other and performing on stage in front of a large audience. Many thanks to Mrs Sharon Moore for organising the food and making sure every tummy was full, Mr Nick Lane and Mrs Luby Mansell for supervising our energetic students and our fabulous Mrs Michelle Foreman for her dedication in inspiring our students to sing and find joy in making music together.

The Quaver Crew is open to all students in Year 2-3 and meet for rehearsal every Tuesday lunch. Year 3-6 students are welcome to join the Crotchet Crew that meets every Thursday lunch. After many months of restrictions, it is wonderful to be finally able to sing with our students, making a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Mrs Irene Samuels
Music Teacher

Can you help supply some of the following resourcing needs for our creative department?

If you can collect the following items and bring them to the Visual Arts staff room it would be most appreciated:

• Newspaper
• Magazine
• Tin cans (that have a ring lid removed with no sharp edges, label removed)
•   Clean large sheets of corrugated Cardboard
• Toilet rolls / cardboard cylinders / paper roll
• Metal forks and dessert and soup spoons

If you are able to volunteer for a couple of hours to assist in sorting art materials, preparing resources and helping to reorganise the art department please contact the Head of Visual Arts, Mr. Lewis  - [email protected]

Your support and assistance would be most appreciated.

Mr Steve Lewis
Head of Visual Arts

ROCK camp 2022 was a smashing success. Despite sickness and many other events in the school calendar that might have competed, our team didn’t crack under pressure. Over the weekend of 27 – 29 May at KCC in Katoomba, a group of intrepid campers and dedicated staff went away to immerse ourselves in God’s word and our Christian community as we also had tons of fun together!

Our theme in 2022 was “Transformed in Christ” a series of studies from the opening chapters of 2 Corinthians, delivered by special guest Heather Dyson, who joined us from St Matthew’s Anglican Church, West Pennant Hills. As always the sessions were an incredible time of growth as we studies God’s word, and student participation as we were led, sung together and got to know members of the ROCK community better as well.

Saturday afternoon free time saw bush walking, board games and even a study hall for our dedicated ROCK campers to participate in. On Saturday evening our themed dinner was “Fluoro and Glow” and we looked amazing covered in glow sticks and fluoro outfits. All the teachers pitched in, with the help of student leaders to play capture the flag in the dark with lots of glowsticks!

One of the key messages we heard over the weekend was that God is in control and we don’t have to carry the burden of being “good enough” to take part in His plans. He knows exactly who we are, and exactly how He wants to use us, all we need to do is trust Him and be willing to follow where He leads.

A special thank you to the many teachers who gave their time willingly to love and serve the students, Mrs Chambers, Mrs Price, Mr Wright, and Mr Janzen. Thanks also to the staff who came up to support, encourage and run activities for the day, Mr Kobus, Mr McMurry, and Mrs Grima.

Watch this space for ROCK Camp 23! Hopefully in Term 1 of next year.

“7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”

Acts 1:7-9

Mr David Janzen
College Chaplain

Need something special in the lunchbox?  Try the new quick and easy chocolate muffin recipe from the Cancer Council.  A healthier way to get something special into the lunch box and a great way to use up overripe bananas. You can add raspberries, blueberries or sultanas for an extra fruity zip. Get the kids involved and try this recipe today!

The latest version of our Community Business Directory is now available for download.

The Community Business Directory acts as a link for business and families to support each other.  This initiative has been created by the Parents & Friends Association for businesses of Penrith Anglican College families rather than a general advertising site to assist our College Community during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Each business in the Directory has a direct link with a College family.

Please note, the Parents & Friends Association, Penrith Anglican College and their staff will not be liable for any interactions or transactions that occur between any parties connected through this P&F Initiative. The Parents & Friends Association has not vetted the information, products or offerings provided by these businesses. 

We will continue to update this document and post a link to the updated version on the website and the College App.  If you would like your business to participate in the Community Business Directory, please fill out the form via this link. There is no cost involved.

We are excited to be able to support our College families in this way, and hope you find this Directory helpful.

Congratulations to the Secondary Athletics Team who represented PAC at the NASSA Athletics Championship. Results have come through, and PAC finished in 4th place on the day. Our team walked away with a number of podium finishes – of special note were our girls’ relay teams, both finishing in 2nd place!

Congratulations to the following students who finished at the top of the points table for their age group:

• Ava Maurer – 3rd in 13 years
• Isla Puri – 2nd in 14 years
• Nate Ciantar Pirrone – 3rd in 14 years
• Hannah Roots – Age Champion in 16 years
• Ellie Whiticker – 2nd in 18 years

Mrs Amanda Houison
Director of Sport